The main critique of the Intellectual Heritage Program is that courses are too broad and too shallow. Their impact is insignificant because students don not retain much knowledge from two classes over the period of four years. It is reasoned, why should a student spend substantial portion of their college career learning information and material they will most likely forget by the time they graduate? Students are required only to take two semesters of MOSAIC classes, which is barely enough time to develop anything beyond an elementary proficiency in the content discussed, which is practically useless in the real world.
Another problem with MOSAIC is that students generally do not think the classes are any beneficial
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and have little incentive to put forth effort to learn the dense material. If this is the student’s mindset, they will bring an apathetic attitude to class and will be more concerned with taking easy professors to get a good grade rather than challenging themselves to learn something new. Adversaries might argue that this is a problem with the student’s attitude rather than anything wrong with the curriculum, and in some cases that can be true. The issue arises when deliberating if the courses are too costly, wasteful, and unreasonable to justify the time and money spent completing it and should it be abrogated and replaced with a more effective program. At the bare minimum, there should be more of a connection between a student’s major concentration and their general education requirements. The problem is that administrators try to design a general education syllabus to be one-size fits all. Each curriculum needs to be personalized to the student needs. Administrators don not realize that each student has different needs and ambitions, and that one class could be vital to one student and useless to the next. The compulsory, two-semester Intellectual Heritage course sequence at Temple devotes much time and energy to Marx, while at times downsizing the devastation Communism has inflicted. One professor writes on a list of study questions, "Marx presents an astute understanding and critique of Capitalism. Is it convincing?” It may seem as if the professor is keen to convert students to the cause and although this might not be intentional but this may look bad on the professor’s part. Although not very common but there is a chance for one-sided indoctrination into leftist political ideologies and an alarming lowering of academic standards. Students learn about Communism from English professors, and about American history from women's studies professors. Good teaching is at least as critical in General Education courses as in other fields of learning. For many students, courses taken at the introductory level are the first and only scholastic exposure to the humanities. Therefore, we should want to extend to these students the most attractive invitation to the humanities possible. This asks for teachers who can make the dry subject of humanities vibrant and who can guide students through the landscape of human thought. And appreciatively a good majority of teachers who teach MOSAIC classes at Temple have great mastery of the material and they are committed to teaching what they have learned to love. In one crucial way, teachers cannot be dispassionate. And the teachers I have come across so far in MOSAIC classes are not dispassionate about the works they teach, and acknowledge that they are teaching important works. But this does not mean that they plainly support every single idea of every author, but rather that they are moved and are seen to be moved by the power of the works and are able to convey that power to their students. If the teacher is the guide, the curriculum is the path.
A good curriculum pinpoints the marks of significance so that the student does not meander aimlessly over the terrain, dependent merely on coincidence to uncover the milestones of human achievement. Most students enter college expecting that the university and its leaders have a clear vision of what is worth knowing and what is important in our heritage that all educated persons should know. The goal of the MOSAIC is to learn what communities past and present have done and are doing to confront, challenge, and overcome systems of power including but not limited to global capitalism, state oppression, and racism. In these classes students study a wide range of ideas about work from the eighteenth century to the present. These ideas have been engendered by scholars in various disciplines such as Philosophy, Science, Economics, Political Theory and Literature. In curriculum design, clarity and intentionality are the most essential elements in the development of program outcomes. And these instructions have been eloquently identified with the Intellectual Heritage Program at Temple. The program aims to impart a complex set of meanings that includes but not limited to decorum, demeanor, modesty, etiquette, manners, morals, propriety, and humaneness. MOSAIC provides tools for lifelong learning (Greek history, and the qualitative and quantitative disciplines of the classical liberal arts) including both historical and more recent literary works. The program exhibits grounding in both the Western and the Eastern scholarly traditions; study subjects in relation to each other and with attention to contemporary relevance; and build on theoretical knowledge through moral obligation and service to the community and society. Such knowledge allow us to preserve the great accomplishments of the past, help us understand the world we live in, and give us essential tools to imagine the
future. With these ends in mind, Temple has developed a unique curriculum for a bachelor’s degree program, banking on varied pedagogical approaches, from selective memorization to critical analysis and a broad range of classroom activities such as class discussions, oral presentations and varied writing assignments all to stimulate the student’s intellectual development. The curriculum focuses attention on key foundational texts; an in-depth investigation of critical methodological issues; a command of the English language; an understanding of the most important sciences; and grounding in History, Literature, Astronomy, Science, Philosophy, Law, Ethics, and Politics. The educational philosophy reflects the ability of a student to become part of a living intellectual and spiritual tradition which is enhanced by an ongoing involvement with an active community of learners. In the end, students will find the Mosaic I and II curriculum to be comprehensive, with its emphasis on universal principles and themes, rather than fragmented into isolated subjects and disciplines. The holistic curriculum reflects the interdependence of disciplines. For example, the study of philosophy raises issues of theology; the study of political science is not divorced from personal ethics; the rise and fall of civilizations is contextualized through a study of world religions. As a prominent General Education Program, MOSAIC aims to provide its students a groundwork in the intellectual heritage of not one but two major world civilizations: the West and the East. These civilizations share not only common roots but also common aims: to think deeply and systematically about the world, to ponder upon our ultimate cause and purpose, and to live ethically in the course of our individual and collective lives. The concept of Intellectual Heritage Program can be expressed in several ways, but at its core it serves as an inspiration that students undergo to achieve personal transformation that ultimately leads to an abiding concern for the wider community.
In the Hawaiian culture, “Ohana” is a significant phrase referring to the bondage of family. There are many heritages across the world that have their own way of communicating that affection and showing their love to their own heritage. Hispanic heritage, for example, have the delicious food while other cultures have different focuses. Through heritage, communities find their niches in society to form an American Heritage. Though heritage exists through communities sharing a common culture, heritage definitely coincides with family and reigning stability within their niche. In the poem “Heritage” by Linda Hogan and the image “Mother Daughter Posing as Ourselves” by Elaine O’Neil, showing affection is one of the most prominent ways to communicate
Shiffman believes that the drop in interest in the humanities results in the inability of students to have clear bearings amid life’s uncertainties. He believes that only by studying the humanities will students be able to introspect and recognize that endless achievement may not add up to a meaningful life (Shiffman 5). However, Shiffman fails to realize that this form of reflection need not be done solely by those majoring in the humanities. It can be done by all who try, their fields of study are no limitation. In fact, it may be this same reflection that leads to an individual’s decision to prioritize practicality. Not all those who choose the practical path are doing it for themselves. Many may do it for their families, as a safe and stable means of supporting their loved ones. Others may take this opportunity to give back to their community through the ways they are most skilled. Instead of pursuing a single interest in a certain field, they choose to follow their various callings. Doing solely what an individual loves is a self-centered view of the world. While it is important to chase happiness, it is also important to reflect on what one is doing to spread happiness to the rest of the world. One must find something that they are good at, and put that into the world. They should contribute to others and help the world be better, in addition to following their passions. An individual’s acts of service may just become one of their many passions.
All in all, “Hidden Intellectualism” is a pleasant journey through the nuances of educating future intellectuals, especially with Gerald Graff at the helm navigating as only a venerable ship captain can.
Examining the Greek system is significant to me because Greek life is a dominant tradition in many universities, both academically and socially, and I am interested in understanding why it is so prominent here on campus. Additionally, analyzing the overall structure of the Greek System will allow me to understand why students feel inclined to become a member of these organizations while others don’t. In order to comprehend this student subcult...
Imagine a cardiovascular surgeon about to crack the sternum of a dying patient; tension is high while the clock of life ticks desperately slower and softer for the poor soul on the cold steel table that saw death the hour before. Is it logical that at that moment the purveyor of life is contemplating whether his freshmen philosophy class back at SMU has thoroughly prepared him for what he is about to do? Not likely. In higher learning institutions, liberal art classes like philosophy are not meant to be directly applied to one’s life or career; however, they are structured and devised to be a strong base that the individual can expand upon through scientific learning and experience. This is precisely the reason colleges and universities require and place much emphasis on these classes; nevertheless, there has been a shift away from the liberal arts towards the direction of highly specialized areas of science and business because of their growing integration in everyday life. Although people need a limited number of liberal arts classes to attain a basic understanding of ourselves and our evolution, state universities are aptly moving towards technical education, because, in this fast paced world, many people don’t have the time or money to spend studying the humanities alone.
This integrative and alternative curriculum “would include cross-curricular objectives and be grounded on powerful learning environments” ones that include problem- and project- based tasks and promote student autonomy and control of the learning process (Alahiotis & Stavlioti, 2006, p.122). Inter- and intra- disciplinary knowledge is important to be included in curricular materials. Furthermore, it is noted that this approach is both content and process oriented and that is why is so deman...
Skloot, Floyd. “In the Shadow of Memory.” Intersections: An Introduction to the Liberal Arts. Ed. Peggy Fitch. Littleton, MA: Tapestry, 2011. 79-84. Print.
How imperative is it that one pursues a traditional college experience? Although it might appear that Charles Murray and Liz Addison are in agreement that the traditional college experience is not necessary for everyone, Addison provides a more convincing argument that higher education is necessary in some form. This is seen through Addison’s arguments that college is essential to growing up, that education is proportional to the life one lives, and that community college reinvents the traditional college experience. Not only does Addison have her own opinions about college, but Murray does as well.
Nikki Giovanni and Linda Hogan both wrote poems in the 1970s about their grandmothers that seem totally different to the unaware reader. In actuality, they are very similar. These two poems, Legacies and Heritage, express the poet’s value of knowledge passed down from grandmother to granddaughter, from generation to generation. Even though the poems are composed and read very differently, the underlying message conveyed is the same, and each are valid first-hand accounts of legacies and heritages.
How can community health nurses apply the strategies of cultural competence to their practice? Provide at least one example from each of the following four strategies: cultural preservation, cultural accommodation, cultural re-patterning, and cultural brokering. What is a possible barrier to applying the strategy/example chosen? Use an example that is different than the postings of other students.
A college education gives a person the opportunity to be successful in life, either financially or morally dependent on the goals that they set for their life. They will choose a college that offer programs for the major of their choice, where they will specialize and receive a degree. The decision to pursue a higher education will give the opportunity to earn a better income over someone who does not have a degree. College is more of life preparation course that will help make sure a successful career. If a person pursues a career in engineering, physics or mathematics their curriculum would include more liberal art preparation courses, in order for them to earn their degree, so someone pursuing a degree in these types of careers are attending college for job preparation. On December 10, 2009 at Hamilton University in Clinton, New York, college professors debated current college curriculum (Liew). They talked about how their college could make a leap from being good to being great. At the 22nd American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges conference held in Long Beach California on November 14, 1996 the topic of changing curriculum was discussed (“Mich”). The University of Louisiana, Lafayette, is eliminating its philosophy major, while Michigan State University is doing away with American studies and classics, after years of decline in enrollments in those majors (Zernike). The purpose of a college education is to meet the student's liberal art’s needs so that they can compete and understand the connection between a degree and a job that will enable them to compete with other world economies, give them a well-rounded education that will enable them to earn a higher income, and retain a lifetime full of knowledge.
Early thought processes concerning education laid the groundwork for the modern philosophy of education, including university structures and frameworks. What our ancients have advocated is said to be the cause of every century’s success in continually gaining knowledge. But Plato and Aristotle had very different opinions when it came to the education branch of life.
“Don’t do that. You’ll never get a job.” Such was the response of one of my favorite teachers to the interest that I had voiced in history as a potential field of study. A teacher whose class a friend and I had enjoyed so much we had taken time out of a weekday afternoon to come visit her. Sure, my response contrasted pretty acutely with that of my friend who wanted to pursue a career in computational linguistics, but history is my genuine interest. In an environment that constantly peddles science and technology careers, it’s hard to love history and literature.
“People knew I was different. But not less.” Temple Grandin understood what she had, but she knew she was not less than anyone else. She did what anyone else could do. She knew she could push through everyday, no matter how hard and how long it took. Temple is not different, but she is unique! “We’re focusing so much on academics that we’ve taken out things like, art, sewing, cooking, woodworking, music, and other things that introduce kids to careers.” Temple Grandin is trying to explain and tell the world that it is not all about academics. She had the tremendously strong willpower to prove that what she was thinking was actually right. She wanted people to stop worrying about all academics and more about the arts, sports, and the creativity of all of it. Because if not, only the few students that excel at academics are
“Each piece of the past tells something of what we were or what we are. By enlarging our ties with past generations, we commit ourselves to future generations and we dignify the present.”